1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a system and method for securely communicating content as streaming data from a closed network to dedicated devices authorized to receive the streaming content from the closed network. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a system and method in which a dedicated device receives encrypted streaming content from a global, secured and closed network which ensures that the dedicated device is authorized to receive the streaming content, and a component of the dedicated device for decrypting the encrypted streaming content also permits limited use of the streaming content so that the streaming content is prevented from being distributed outside the dedicated device. A component of the closed network also inserts at least two packets of respectively unique hidden data identifying a user of the dedicated device to which a streamed content is to be delivered. If the streamed content is somehow transferred outside the dedicated device, the user can be identified by the hidden data.
The present disclosure also relates to a system and method for distributing aggregated content usage, subscriber and payment data compiled in the closed network to enable providers of the content, advertisers, and content production companies, etc. to obtain content usage and subscriber data that is representative of all users of the closed network.
2. Description of the Background Art
In recent years, the Internet has become a popular medium for exchanging content such as software, games, movies, music, images and documents. Due to high-speed broadband connections to the Internet, users no longer exclusively acquire content with computer-readable media such as CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs and other optical media. Instead, users can now obtain content from content providers over the Internet at any time. The Internet also enables users to share content with other users.
While the Internet has made content distribution easier, it has also created significant problems for owners and providers (e.g., licensees) of copyrighted content, because the Internet is largely an open, uncontrollable and unsecured network. Consequently, owners and providers of copyrighted content often attempt to restrict use of their content to particular users through licenses, watermarking, and encryption schemes, for example. In the case of licenses, a user who purchases a software application, for example, may be required to obtain a license to use the software. The user would then be required to register with the software owner or provider, or with a third party clearinghouse, in order to be able to use the software. Such a license may be for a limited number of users or computers, and the software would only operate correctly for those registered users or computers. However, if the software is surreptitiously hacked to remove the license restrictions from the software, the hacker could distribute the software over the Internet to an unlimited number of users.
Watermarking is a technique which allows a content owner or provider to add hidden copyright notices or other verification or notification messages to content such as software, video data, audio data and documents, for example. The notices or messages include a group of bits describing information pertaining to the source of the content and may also include information pertaining to a purchaser of the content. For example, watermarking techniques are currently used by distributors of digital audio and video data in which the purchaser's identity is encoded into the content, and use of the content is restricted to particular devices that are registered to be owned by the purchaser. If the purchaser creates unauthorized copies of copyrighted content containing the watermarks, the purchaser's identity will be included in the unauthorized copies, allowing the infringer to be identified by an enforcement agency or the copyright owner.
Algorithms are used to encode and insert watermarks into predetermined portions of content, such as before the first bit or packet of the content or after the last bit or packet of the content, for example. If the watermarking algorithm is deciphered, however, the watermark can then be removed from the content, in which case the infringing user of the content will not be identified, and the infringing user can freely distribute the unauthorized copy of the content over the Internet to an unlimited number of users. In response to watermarking algorithm deciphering, watermarking algorithms have become more complex in recent years. However, due to the demand for cheaper or free content over the Internet, complex watermarking algorithms have been deciphered at an alarming rate. This trend will likely continue as long as there is a demand for Internet-based copyright infringement.
Encryption schemes are also used to protect copyrighted content.
Two commonly used encryption schemes are public key cryptography and secret key cryptography. In public key cryptography, a content user is assigned a public key and a private key, which are mathematically related to each other. The public key is known by the content user and an owner or provider of the copyrighted content. When distributing content to the content user, the owner or provider of the copyrighted content encrypts the content with the public key known to both parties, and the content user decrypts the content by using his or her private key, which is known only to the content user. One problem with public key cryptography is that the content user's computer can be hacked to steal the content user's private key. The stolen private key of the content user can then be used to decrypt copyrighted content of the owner or provider of the copyrighted content. Another problem with public key cryptography is the authenticity of the public key, since the public key may be known to a large number of parties.
In secret key cryptography, a secret key is held by both the content user and the owner or provider of the copyrighted content. When distributing content to the content user, the owner or provider of the copyrighted content encrypts the content with the secret key, and the content user decrypts the content by using the same secret key. One problem with secret key cryptography is that the private key may be compromised during transit of the content, or an unauthorized party may hack either the content user's computer or the distribution system of the owner or provider of the copyrighted content to steal the secret key used for encrypting and decrypting the content.
Despite well intentioned attempts to secure copyrighted content that is distributed over the Internet, the demand for cheaper or free copyrighted content has led to the deciphering or cracking of even the most complex protection schemes and algorithms. A natural reaction would be to develop even more complex protection schemes and algorithms, but more complex protection schemes and algorithms will likely continue to be deciphered or cracked in the future.
While efforts have been made to secure copyrighted content that is distributed over the Internet, a problem that is often overlooked or disregarded is that copyrighted content is distributed over the Internet, which is largely an open, uncontrollable and unsecured network. Due to the popularity and accessibility of the Internet, the potential exists for copyrighted content owners and providers to be able to provide their content to millions or even billions of users. That attractive potential, however, is diluted by the pervasiveness of Internet-based copyright infringement. It has been estimated that Internet-based copyright infringement results in billions of dollars a year in lost revenue for copyright owners and providers. Lost revenue for copyright owners inevitably provides a disincentive to continue developing copyrightable content.
Most nations have copyright enforcement policies in place, but enforcement of the policies varies for each nation. Internet-based servers which facilitate infringement of copyrighted content are often located in countries with relatively lenient copyright infringement policies or a history of limited enforcement. Legislative prohibitions to copyright enforcement have been proposed, but such legislative prohibitions are often slow to adapt to ever-changing permutations in the methods of infringing copyrighted content. Moreover, enforcement of copyright laws often merely results in criminal sanctions imposed against typically egregious infringers. As a result, copyright owners are often forced to bring private lawsuits against infringers to recover lost revenue caused by the infringement.
Furthermore, many national governments spend billions of dollars a year in prosecuting copyright infringers and fostering the development of more complex encryption schemes to protect copyrighted and sensitive content from unauthorized distribution. The constant development of more complex encryption schemes is required because existing encryption schemes continue to be compromised at an alarming rate. In addition to financial resources allocated to prosecuting infringers and fostering the development of more complex encryption schemes, national and local governments also lose tax resources when copyrighted content is unlawfully distributed.
Accordingly, the rampant Internet-based copyright infringement that is prevalent today harms not only copyrighted content owners and licensees, but the governments of the content owners and licensees as well.
What is desired, therefore, is a secure, global network in which owners of copyrighted content or non-copyrighted content can deposit their content to be distributed to interested users, and only authorized users are able to obtain the content from the secure network. Such a secure, global network provides a mutual benefit to both copyrighted content owners and content users. Knowing their copyrighted content would be securely distributed and not subject to the rampant Internet-based copyright infringement that is prevalent today, copyrighted content owners or providers would not hesitate to embrace such a global network. As a result, content users would benefit from an abundance of copyrighted content available from one, central source.
Another consideration of the present disclosure is the presently inaccurate or incomplete compilations of data obtained for discerning patterns in content use and interest for various demographic groups. Ratings systems seek to compile data on content usage for particular demographic groups so that advertising agencies, content producers and other entities interested in catering to a particular demographic group can provide content, merchandise and/or services that may be of interest to that demographic group.
A significant drawback to conventional rating systems, however, is that the compilation of data is based on a sample of users that may not be truly representative of a particular demographic group or the population at large. Conventional ratings systems typically compile content usage data from either random demographic samplings, or from users who agree to have their content usage monitored in order to obtain an offered benefit (i.e., self-selection ratings systems). In the case of random demographic samplings, individuals are chosen based on statistical probabilities. For example, in a city having 300,000 residents, 100 individuals who are between the ages of forty and forty-nine and who are married and have children living at home may be selected to represent their demographic group. There is, however, no reasonable assurance that those 100 individuals will provide a truly representative sample of the demographic group of married adults between the ages of forty and forty-nine who have children living at home. Furthermore, random demographic samplings are typically limited to real-time monitoring. As a result, random demographic ratings systems may not accurately capture content use if a portion of the 100 selected individuals are away from home during the time a content is broadcast, but who have programmed a recorder to record the content so that it can be viewed after the monitored broadcast time.
In the case of self-selection ratings systems, the demographic group being studied is skewed towards those that are interested in obtaining the offered consideration. That is, the demographic pool whose content usage is being monitored may not be truly representative of a particular demographic group, because the offered consideration may not be attractive to a truly representative sample of the demographic group of interest.
What is desired, therefore, is a system which can accurately compile content usage data for a truly representative sample of the population.